Illustrations

Crazy Lies | Trustworthy Scriptures

April 25, 2017

Crazy Lies | Trustworthy Scriptures

A couple weeks ago, I found myself stomping through the house with some crazy lies screaming through my head. It took a few days and some serious introspection to figure out I needed some crazy truths and trustworthy scriptures to go with them to be ready for this daily battle.

This isn’t really a new development. I became very negative when Little Brother (LB) was about six months old. I’m not sure what triggered it, but I remember having one negative thought after another constantly running through my mind. It was exhausting.

And I believed them.

Ty is Mr. Positive so he tried to combat the lies I was believing with truths. However, my mind had become so embattled that I genuinely didn’t believe any of the positive things he was saying. To help, he gave me a little trick that I still use today when my mind is spinning out of control and all I can hear are thoughts like “I’m so stupid”, “This house is a complete disaster” (and this one is really crazy) “My kids hate me”.

That was the lie that stopped me in my tracks last week. The idea that my kids hate me made me stop and say “well that is completely ridiculous”. I started examining the other negative things I was thinking and realized I needed to bring back the trick.

Ty’s trick is to examine the crazy lie and then respond with a rational truth. I am not stupid, I have a degree from the University of Florida and more than a decade of experience in my field with a few awards to go along with it. My house is not a disaster, I just have laundry to fold. The house is lovely, it keeps us dry and is a nice place to live. And my kids certainly do not hate me. They love me like small boys do and they bring me flowers every day.

I also thought it would be even more helpful to come up with some trustworthy scriptures to go along with my positive responses. Especially since the craziest lie that my kids hate me was understandably plaguing my every minute.

I figure I can’t be the only one who has felt this way and while I don’t have it figured out, I made some changes last week that have made things a little easier and happier that I thought I’d share.

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways (Proverbs 14:8)

The lie about my relationship with my kids usually got very loud around nap time…which happens to be the time that I got very loud too. I was miserable I’ve been so frustrated because my boys share a room now and have been acting as though 1:30 p.m. is the time of day to act like monkeys. I felt very disrespected and wasn’t getting anywhere with them.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. (Proverbs 15:1-2)

Somehow I came across this scripture (who am I kidding, God shoved it in my face) and I realized I had been escalating every situation by raising my voice. The lie that my kids only listen when I yell had disguised itself as a truth in my mind. And while they certainly respond, they aren’t actually listening. In the last couple weeks, their responses altered in ways that were, shall we say, upsetting to me. I will not go in to details because my kids are truly wonderful. This isn’t about their struggles, it’s about mine.

I decided I would only respond calmly and not raise my voice. What a novel idea, right? This is ground-breaking stuff.

I also decided I would give my eldest the option of taking a nap. I’m pretty sure he’s the only four-year-old in his class who still naps, but I kept at it because he will sleep for two hours every day. I was also fearful that my two-year-old wouldn’t nap if his brother didn’t have to sleep either.

It’s still a work in progress, but telling my eldest that he doesn’t have to nap every day has definitely taken the tension out of nap time. We have days where I tell him he has to lie down because the day before was a holiday or we have a long day planned for the next day and then he lies down with no issue. He seems to appreciate this new independence.

They also need an example of how to respond to not getting your way (like when the kids don’t nap) without having a complete meltdown. Soooo, I should probably stop having meltdowns.

There are so many lies that Satan whispers to us all day long. No one understands. There’s nothing in the Bible to help with this situation. I’m ruining my children. I have no friends. I have no idea what I’m doing. My hair makes me look like a lion. The list goes on and on and on.

Here are a few more trustworthy scriptures I dug up to help me through the day. Do you have any scriptures or other tricks for staying positive?

For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:20)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. (Isaiah 50:4)